Page 54 of The Pack

Thorne glanced at me, his eyes catching the light for a moment before he turned back to the fire.

“Sometimes it’s better to show compassion,” he murmured, his tone calm, but clipped.

I nodded, my hands resting in my lap. “You saved them—even if they don’t realize it yet.”

His lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Magnus saved them. I just got scratched for my trouble.”

“Scratched?” Tobias said, his dark eyes narrowing as he pulled the needle through Thorne’s skin. “That’s one way to put it. Hold still.”

Thorne winced slightly, but his face remained stoic.

I leaned in, my curiosity getting the better of me. His wounds looked better than I thought they would, like they had healed a little bit already.

“Do wolves heal faster?” I asked, studying the stitches Tobias was placing.

“Faster than humans,” Thorne said. “But not fast enough to make it matter in a fight.”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean it still hurts, but it will be fully healed in a day or two,” he said simply, his tone light, but his face winced a bit.

“Oh,” I said, biting my lip as I hesitated. “Does it still hurt now?”

Before Thorne could answer, Killian’s voice rang out from across the fire. “That’s cause he’s being a pussy,” he said, his Irish lilt teasing.

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up, though I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle it. “Killian!”

“What?” he said, spreading his hands in mock innocence. “I’m just sayin’ what we’re all thinkin’.”

“Knock it off, Killian,” Magnus said, though there was an unmistakable glint of amusement in his face.

Thorne rolled his eyes, before he turned back to me.

“I’m not a pussy,” he said evenly. “It just hurts.”

The honesty in his voice surprised me, and I felt my cheeks warm. He wasn’t trying to be tough or dismissive—he was just being human.

And I liked that.

“Well, if it helps,” I said, offering him a small smile, “you’re handling it better than most people would.”

His lips curved into a full smile this time, although a faint one. “Thanks.”

Tobias snorted softly, tying off the last stitch. “He’s lucky it wasn’t worse. Those kids didn’t know what they were doing, but desperation makes people dangerous.”

“Aye,” Killian said, his grin returning. “Still, it was worth it to see Thorne get his ass handed to him.”

“I didn’t get my ass handed to me,” Thorne said dryly.

“Oh, no?” Killian teased, leaning forward. “Because from where I was standing, it looked like?—”

“Enough,” Magnus interrupted, though there was no heat in his voice. “Give him a break, Killian.”

Killian shrugged, still grinning, as he leaned back against a log.

I found myself relaxing, the easy banter between them smoothing out the tension that had knotted in my chest all day.

“You’re good at this,” I said to Thorne after a moment, my voice quieter now.

---